The grandparent of a four-year-old boy missing in the outback for almost a year has spoken out, revealing that police believe she is to blame for the vanished tot’s disappearance

The “main suspect” believed to be behind the disappearance of four-year-old Gus Lamont, who vanished nearly a year ago in the wild Australian outback, has spoken publicly for the first time with explosive claims that police believe she is the one behind little Gus’ demise.

Speaking for the first time about the tragic case of the vanished four-year-old, grandparent Josie Murray has told the nation – and the world – that she had nothing to do with her grandson’s disappearance – despite what police may think.

Little Gus Lamont was last seen playing outside his home on his family’s a sheep station, Oak Park Station, near Yunta, in the Australian Outback on the evening of September 27. He then vanished without a trace.

Since then, 11 individual, large-scale searches of Oak Park Station have failed to find any trace of the toddler on the sprawling South Australian sheep farm.

Now, in a tell-all sit-down with 7News’ Spotlight programme, his 75-year-old grandparent revealed she is the “main suspect” in the police investigation into the disappearance of her four-year-old grandson.

“They’ve said they don’t think I’ve hurt him, they think that I’ve buried him – that’s one of the theories they’re working on,” Ms Murray told Spotlight on Sunday, alleging the police theory is that she did so to cover up Gus’ accidental death.

She added: “For so many reasons it’s ludicrous. It doesn’t make sense. Why would you do that to yourself?”

So what did happen almost a year ago in Yunta? Well, the 75-year-old has a theory. She thinks that she thinks Gus was abducted, and claims the signs were there to prove it.

Ms Murray added that she saw strange tyre tracks on the property around the time Gus vanished. “I started to think, almost immediately, I wonder if someone’s come in,” Ms Murray said, before recounting she alerted police to a footprint she found near the station’s dam.

She alleges the print matched one of Gus’ shoes, adding that it was dismissed by police.

South Australia Police Commissioner Stevens has previously stated that investigators believe it is highly unlikely the young boy simply wandered away. “There has not been one single piece of evidence during the searching exercise — arguably the most extensive search in South Australia’s history — that indicates he wandered off,” he said back in May.

No one has been charged over Gus’ disappearance.

In the same interview with 7NEWS’ Spotlight programme, Ms Murray also revealed the little boy had previously gone missing on the isolated outback property.

Speaking as part of a major joint investigation by 7NEWS and its specialist deep-dive investigation programme Spotlight, the 75-year-old described a frightening incident in which Gus wandered off and could not be found.

“[Gus’ other grandparent] Shan had taken him down to the Shearer’s quarters while Jess and I were out mustering and he had wandered off… Shan couldn’t find him when she was going to come home,” Ms Murray said.

Full statement from South Australia Police

A spokesperson said: “The investigation into the disappearance of four-year-old Gus Lamont has been one of the largest and most intensive undertaken by SA Police in connection with a missing person.

“It has involved an unprecedented level of ground and air searching across a very large search zone and utilised unlimited resources and the expertise of multiple other agencies and organisations.

“Sadly, despite 11 individual, large-scale searches of Oak Park Station, no evidence relating to Gus Lamont’s disappearance has been located.

“From the time Gus disappeared SA Police have been investigating three specific lines of inquiry – that Gus had wandered off and become lost, that he had been abducted or that a person known to him was involved in his disappearance.

“The Officer-in-Charge of the Major Crime Investigation Branch Detective Superintendent Darren Fielke has conducted regular press conferences to update the community on the investigation into Gus’ disappearance – revealing significant operational details because of the intense public interest in the case.

“Task Force Horizon has and will continue to investigate any and all information, including information provided by Gus’s family, that could assist in identifying what has happened to Gus.

“As the investigation is ongoing it is not appropriate for SA Police to discuss specific aspects of the investigation that could compromise any potential future court proceedings.”